David Bowie Rollerskate Night: Tuneful Tribute

Moonlight Rollerway honors the first anniversary of the legend's passing.

By Alysia Gray Painter •Published January 9, 2017•Updated on January 9, 2017 at 9:27 am

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Slipping into a pair of skates with the knowledge that you're about to twirl to several hours of "Ziggy Stardust"-y, "Let's Dance"-ian hits presents you this quandary: How does one dress to properly pay tribute to the music-filled memory of David Bowie?

The legend passed away on Jan. 10, 2016, and a "year has unbelievably gone by" tributes are springing up around the world like so many vibrant No. 1 singles.

But one of the most meaningful to those who grew up listening to songs like "Heroes" and "Golden Years" may be the chance to get out and move in the way that people once moved when those songs first debuted.

The Scene

We speak of rollerskating, or dancing on wheels, a panache-filled pursuit that Moonlight Rollerway regularly celebrates from its old-school home base in Glendale. And the turntables will be fully given over to the sounds of David Bowie on Monday, Jan. 9, all in honor of his life, legacy, and the really rollerskatable tunes he so deftly fashioned over decades of hit-makery.

This is an 18-and-over deal, so your young Bowie buffs will have to enjoy tales tomorrow of their rollerskating parents.

You can rent skates, if your wheel-rockin' made-in-1978 shods, the ones with the glitter laces, aren't looking their best these days.

The time? It all starts at 8 p.m. and wraps at the mysterious "Labyrinth"-like hour of midnight.

Which returns us to our original question: Will you don your Jareth, the Goblin King wig to rollerskate, as it has such good flutter when met with a breeze? Or one of David Bowie's shiny and chic '80s suits?

You can just arrive in your jeans and tee, of course, the kind of wear people sported back in the decade when David Bowie began to dominate the charts (and never stopped).